Georgia O'Keeffe Museum: Celebrating 10 Years

Eleven years after the death of American
artist Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986),
best-known for her large scale
depictions of flowers, the Georgia O’Keeffe
Museum opened in Santa Fe, New Mexico on July
17, 1997. In its 10-year history, more than 2
million visitors from around the world have made
it the most visited art museum in the state.

Philanthropists John and Anne Marion, part-time
residents of Santa Fe, officially founded the
Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in November 1995.
(For more on the Marions, see page 42.) The
Museum is dedicated to perpetuating the artistic
legacy of Georgia O’Keeffe and to the study and
interpretation of American Modernism. It is the
first art museum in America dedicated to the
work of a woman artist of international stature.

Housed in a spacious Pueblo Revival-style
building two blocks from the historic Santa Fe
Plaza, the 13,000-square-foot Museum’s collection
of more than 2,990 works comprises 1,149
O’Keeffe paintings, drawings, and sculptures,
including pieces on extended loans, and is the
largest collection of O’Keeffe’s work in the world.

Since its opening, the Georgia O’Keeffe
Museum has presented numerous exhibitions
offering new insights into O’Keeffe’s works and
has sponsored more than 27 exhibitions
showcasing O’Keeffe’s work and that of her
contemporaries. The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
Research Center, opened in 2001, supports and
promotes scholarship on American Modernism in
the fields of architectural history and design, art
history, literature, music and photography.
VISIT GEORGIA O’KEEFFE’S HOME
AND STUDIO

The Museum also maintains the Abiquiu, New
Mexico home and studio of Georgia O’Keeffe,
where she painted some of her most famous
works, and offers public tours on a limited basis.
Tours are conducted by appointment from spring
through late autumn, and should be arranged at
least six weeks in advance. Tours last
approximately one hour and are limited to a
maximum of twelve people. For reservations and
information, call 505-685-4539.

Anniversary Celebrations: Throughout 2007, the Museum will celebrate the
achievements of its first decade. Educational lectures will be presented
throughout the year. A community celebration with food, entertainment, and
hands-on art-making activities is planned for July. Readings of O’Keeffe’s
letters by celebrity actors as well as an anniversary gala will occur in
August.